The flagship meeting of the 2022 edition of Roland-Garros between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, broadcast free of charge by Amazon Prime Video and not France Televisions, brought together more than 3 million viewers, announced the general manager of Prime Video Sport Europe, Alex Green. The shock of the quarter-finals on May 31, whose programming in the evening session had sparked controversy by being reserved for the paying platform Prime Video and not for the public service, is the only one on which Amazon wanted to communicate audience figures. .
“The audience on Prime Video has increased significantly this year, it has been a great tournament”, simply reacted Alex Green during a press briefing in Paris. By way of comparison, France Télévisions, the main broadcaster, was delighted to have gathered on average “1.9 million viewers” over the afternoons, and 4.6 million on average during the final.
For the duel won in four sets by the Spaniard and finished at 1:15 a.m., Prime Vidéo had decided, exceptionally, to offer the meeting free of charge, without the need for a subscription to the Prime Vidéo service (49 euros per year or 5.99 euros per month).
“It wasn’t a usual broadcast pattern, but it was also a huge, unusual event, so we thought it was the best option,” explained Alex Green. On the choice of the programming of the meeting, criticized by the president of France Télévisions Delphine Ernotte, the leader returned the ball to the camp of the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
“Of course the evening session is supposed to be about the star game, the showpiece game, it’s important for the tournament, not just for the broadcaster. But we don’t decide, it’s the tournament that decides,” said he said. Mr. Green has also shown himself open to an earlier start to the evening sessions.
“It’s more of a logistical challenge, finishing the day’s matches, getting people off the court,” said the leader. “As long as it stays in the evening, even if it’s a bit earlier, it’s not a problem for us.” Since the 2021 edition and until 2023, Amazon has exclusively held ten night sessions and the matches of the Simonne-Mathieu court on its paying platform.
